


Diplopia

by feyrelay



Series: DIEU (Daddy Issues Extended Universe) [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 200 Word Challenge, Don't copy to another site, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, POV Tony Stark, Уточнять у автора
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-01-16 09:20:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18518515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feyrelay/pseuds/feyrelay
Summary: Tony considers the consequences of his actions in the Daddy Issues 'verse. A series of Tony POV 200 Word Challenges.***I have never, will never, allow any reposting or translations of my works without my permission. All of my works will and shall only be hosted on my personal accounts on AO3 (feyrelay), Pillowfort (feyrelay).I no longer have a Tumblr.I do not have a Twitter account.I do not have a Wattpad account.Please Do Not Repost My Fics ANYWHERE, including but not limited to Goodreads, Ficbook.net, or Fanfics.me. If you would like to translate a work of mine or host a translation you may contact me to ASK about that, at feyrelayfiction@gmail.com. Уточнять у автора.





	1. Dogged

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tangodoodles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tangodoodles/gifts).



Hello Kitty needs to be Goodbye Kitty, he thinks, absurdly.

He never expected Peter to keep these fugly pants, though he’d have bet on the pants before the shirt.

Peter’s a soft boy; he could pull off pink. But he’s a New Yorker, too. Tourist = trash.

Peter’s room is cyclone-wrecked; it was before he got here, though (as usual) Tony’s made things worse.

(Why hide them? Why the headboard?)

Tony tries the trick of empathy, the one he’d had to _study_ \-- like a robot, like something _heartless_ (but were they?) -- in order to figure this out.

He puts himself in Peter’s shoes, walks the distance between the way back from Governor’s Island to Forest Hills in… whatever shoes he’d sent the kid with. He pictures Peter staring at the ground, tears dotting the sidewalk and dogging his footsteps, just waiting to be jumped by some unlucky moron over his Morning After Sorority Sleepover attire.

(Tony feels a little sick.)

Would Peter -- shamed and raw as he’d been in that moment -- have even fought back?

And, more importantly, was Peter _still_ fightless?

(That text. _Goodbye Kitty_ , he thinks again. Bile.)

 _Yo soy un bastardo_ , he thinks, all broken Spanish.

Broken heart.


	2. Deathwish

Tony knows. He _knows_ it was probably a fit of pique, or a little zillenial humor, or a translation error. He knows.

(But what if he’s wrong?)

_“...thank you for everything… saving my life at the Expo… a kid getting between him and his job.”_

It’s a lot to unpack. Tony thinks several vicious things in quick succession, because he’s him.

(Telling me ‘thank you’ is like apologizing to your murderer for bleeding on their clothes.)

(The kid in the helmet? Why’d they even fucking buy you one with that hard head of yours?)

(You _are_ my job.)

_“...I guess I will never grow up… I won't bother either of you again, this is just something I had to do… didn’t have anyone else to contact.”_

(Oh, kid.)

Tony goes into decision triage. What does he need to start doing, stop doing, or do differently?

He’ll do or not do whatever it takes.

Maybe. Maybe it’s a bit like with the anti-vaxxers. Vaccines don’t cause autism, but even if they did, better to have a neuro-atypical kid than a dead kid.

Better to have a kid with hero worship than a death wish.

Tony can do this.

(He wants to.)


	3. Drone

“Look you don’t believe me, Mr. Stark? That’s fine! If a suicidal gesture is what it takes to get your attention, then it says more about _your_ mental health than it says about mine,” Peter spits at him, high-strung, as he tosses his phone at him.

For a moment, Tony thinks, _Hit me. Hit me with it._

It lands next to his thigh, instead, and he’s almost disappointed. Peter continues.

They do the same thing they’ve always done, since before Peter had a bunk bed. Peter deflects, demurs, even when angry. Tony quips, jokes, pushes him away, hands him off to Happy.

This is the first time Tony has ever cleaned the kid’s room, though.

It’s the only penance he’ll be allowed. It’s the least he can do after having torn the place to pieces looking for some clue as to Peter’s mindset.

(Bitter, in the back of his throat, the truth: He’s not actually all that _sorry_. He’d tear up more than just this room to ensure Peter Parker’s safety.)

Tony has the drone shoulder most of the cleanup while Peter, presumably, showers. He adds his personal number to Peter’s phone, contemplates the tourist tee again.

(He’s not sorry.)


	4. Dance

Tony knows all he has to do is ask FRIDAY to open the window. Hell, he might only have to say her name; she’s advanced enough that she could probably fill in the blanks.

Peter’s name is the only one he can think.

When he gets there, bringing the outside in with him, it’s easy to tell that Peter is all hindbrain right now, all skittish animal.

It’s easy because Tony feels it, too.

He raises his hands, hoping the bullets already heavy in Peter’s mouth won’t fire. ( _Fill in the blanks_ , he thinks again, nonsensical.)

They do, and he feels them all but he rallies. He tells the truth, that he fucking _hates_ this situation, but not in so many words.

Tony wants to leave space for whatever Peter needs to tell him. He makes sure Peter knows this isn’t like last time, though. He’s not here to take.

He’s not here to abandon.

Tony had decided that already, though once he sees what Peter’s done to himself, it makes it certain.

(What would I be abandoning him _to_?)

“Fuck!” he says on a step forward. Peter flinches back.

He’s lucky they’re not on a ledge.

(Not literally, anyway.)


	5. Destination

Apparently, it’s not enough that Peter is bleeding into the guest bath of Stark Tower, no. The kid has to go and nearly brain himself on the floor, too.

Tony gets to him fast enough, and it gives him some idea of how Peter must feel when he webs someone who’s falling.

There’s that moment when you don’t know if you’re gonna fall too, or not.

Peter grabs his tie and chokes off that train of thought for him. (Figuratively speaking.)

Literally, though, Tony stops breathing when Peter removes the tie entirely. It’s a strangely intimate gesture, vulnerable; Tony doesn’t want to spook him.

He turns the water off in the meantime. The last thing they need is a wet floor to slip on. _That’s too ‘Final Destination’ for my tastes, thanks_ , Tony thinks privately.

Peter starts laughing like he overheard.

He’s got to get the kid out of here, or they’ll _both_ start losing it. The only thing Tony cares about more than that is stopping the bleeding.

It’s all he can afford, or else he’d have to care about the way Peter is touching him and holding onto him.

That just won’t do.

(He might have missed this.)


End file.
